Hike a bike

[Filhodovento]

When doing MTB and sometimes gravel, might be required to carry the bike on your shoulders. This effort is different and requires specific skills. Some segments include hike a bike. It would be great if an algorithm could detect and distinguish (for example based on power, cadence and lack thereof despite movements) the time spent hiking a bike, so as to account separately for that type of effort. Is it something you'd consider?

[Filhodovento]

In French hike a bike is referred to as Portage. Some events, especially in the Alps involve many hours of that type of effort and currently Fitness and Freshness risks to underestimate its impact.

[Jane]

Hello @Filhodovento 

Thanks for your post!

Do you mind elaborating and including more details on what you're envisioning for this feature? We kindly ask that you review our Ideas guidelines, particularly the “What makes a good idea” section, to ensure that your ideas are clear, concise, and can reach as many others as possible.

Are you envisioning the ride activity page would display statistics showing the amount of time spent off versus on the bike? 

You also mention Fitness and Freshness may underestimate efforts done off the bike. If you view Fitness and Freshness on the Web, you have the option to show it using Relative Effort only. See screenshot below:

 

This excludes the power meter data from the Fitness and Freshness equation, and will show your F&F data based on relative effort only. Relative effort is based on your heart rate data and is a great way to compare efforts across different types of exercises. For a ride activity where you're off the bike (and therefore have no power meter data for that portion) I would definitely encourage you to use filter the F&F graph based on relative effort only. Find out more about relative effort here

[Filhodovento]

Hi Jane, thanks for coming back with your comments and apologies it took a while to answer.

I believe it would be a good idea because would allow to identify the sections of cross, MTB and gravel rides (even road rides if the rider was to need pushing their bikes) that are walked or run as opposed to ridden.

Carrying the bike is a specific skill that requires training and quantification of the time spent doing that would be a very useful feature.

As a user I would love to be able to see the time and % of distance and elevation I percurred uphill without pedalling.

I believe a simple algorithm could detect that easily and accurately at least as long as the user had a cadence and or power sensor (time with movement uphill with no cadence or power - adjustment for momentum in case there was a descent before the section = time of bike hiking or bike pushing).

As a minimum viable product as user id like to be able to see the time spent hiking or pushing the bike in absolute terms and relatively to distance and positive elevation.

A more sophisticated version of the feature could offer a specific estimation of calories and ATL of the hiking a bike sections to improve the fitness and freshness outcomes (currently I suppose there might be an underestimation of that type of effort as a result of lower HR, whilst the different muscles involved and the muscle strain of pushing/carrying weight is substantial).

Let me know your thoughts, happy to reflect and elaborate further.

Thanks 

Daniel